wordpress install hangs on step 2 with a blank screen

/cgi-bin/ is the wrong folder for WP files. The correct folder varies by how Apache is configured. If you installed the XAMMP stack, I believe the correct folder is /htdocs/

I increased the value of max_execution_time in php.ini to 180

I moved my wordpress directory structure under htdocs as you suggested. The first part of the install behaves the same, although it now looks much better.

However it still hangs on step 2 and still no tables have been created and there is the same HTTP 500 error message in the Apache access.log file.

Confirm all the mySQL settings in your wp-config.php file are correct. Check your mySQL logs for clues. There are typically a lot of note and warning level entries, we are looking for actual ERROR level entries. Even some of these may be of little consequence if related to startup. We’re interested in errors logged as a direct consequence of running the install script.

according to the readme.html file that came with the wordpress ZIP file “If for some reason this doesn’t work, don’t worry. It doesn’t work on all web hosts. Open up wp-config-sample.php with a text editor like WordPad or similar and fill in your database connection details.
Save the file as wp-config.php and upload it.”

Since the install is hanging with no evidence of anything getting done, I created the wp-config.php file manually by copying the sample and making the appropriate changes.

I then reran wp-admin/install.php and still nothing happens. The same HTTP 500 error messages is at the end of the apache access logfile.

I looked at the mysql documentation which stated that for windows only the error logs are turned on by default. I looked at the only mysql logfile I could find and there was no error message relating to wordpress.

Now what do I do ?

500 errors are maddening, there is no indication as to what really went wrong. Without any error messages anywhere beyond 500 access status, there’s nothing to go on. Perhaps you should review how your local server was setup to ensure all the proper steps were followed. The Contributor Handbook has some detailed instructions for popular local servers. Find your package in the left sidebar and review the process.

when you say “local server” which server are you referring to? (database or web ?)

I have looked at the link you listed and have not found anything useful. I guess I will have to give up on wordpress for now. It is taking way too much of my time just to even install it.

I have made progress on determining the cause of my issues with the install script.

When I looked at the php errors log file more closely, I noticed that there was the following lines at the end of the log

[17-Apr-2019 19:33:18 UTC] PHP Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function mysql_connect() in C:\Apache24\htdocs\wordpress\wp-includes\wp-db.php:1645
Stack trace:
#0 C:\Apache24\htdocs\wordpress\wp-includes\wp-db.php(639): wpdb->db_connect()
#1 C:\Apache24\htdocs\wordpress\wp-includes\load.php(435): wpdb->__construct(‘root’, ‘archer-nx01’, ‘wordpress’, ‘localhost:3306’)
#2 C:\Apache24\htdocs\wordpress\wp-settings.php(109): require_wp_db()
#3 C:\Apache24\htdocs\wordpress\wp-config.php(91): require_once(‘C:\\Apache24\\htd…’)
#4 C:\Apache24\htdocs\wordpress\wp-load.php(37): require_once(‘C:\\Apache24\\htd…’)
#5 C:\Apache24\htdocs\wordpress\wp-admin\install.php(36): require_once(‘C:\\Apache24\\htd…’)
#6 {main}
thrown in C:\Apache24\htdocs\wordpress\wp-includes\wp-db.php on line 1645

So I wrote a small test program to try to access one of my personal mysql tables. It also failed. Upon further examination I found out that I needed to “activate” the mysql extension in my php.ini file. When I did that my test program worked.

However the wordpress install script is still failing with the same error message. I did some searching on this subject and came across this message

And importantly, mysql_connect() has been deprecated since PHP v5.5.0. Refer the official documentation here:
PHP: mysql_connect() : https://php.net/manual/en/function.mysql-connect.php

mysql_connect
(PHP 4, PHP 5)

mysql_connect — Open a connection to a MySQL Server

Warning
This extension was deprecated in PHP 5.5.0, and it was removed in PHP 7.0.0. Instead, the MySQLi or PDO_MySQL extension should be used. See also MySQL: choosing an API guide and related FAQ for more information. Alternatives to this function include:

mysqli_connect() — https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.mysqli-connect.php
PDO::__construct() — https://www.php.net/manual/en/pdo.construct.php

So I changed the wp-includes\wp-db.php script to use mysqli_connect, but that also failed with the same type of error.

So how do I resolve this issue ?

What’s strange is why WP tried to use a mysql (no i) function at all. It generally uses mysqli (with an i) for all DB functionality. WP only uses mysql as a fallback when mysqli functions are not available, or if WP_USE_EXT_MYSQL is defined as true.

Double check your wp-config.php file to ensure WP_USE_EXT_MYSQL is not defined. I doubt it, but it needs to be confirmed. That leaves us with mysqli functions not being defined. When the wpdb class is instantiated, it checks if ( function_exists( 'mysqli_connect' ) ). Only when that function does not exist will WP try to use mysql functions.

I’m afraid that error could be a red herring because you enabled the mysql module for WP to use and you still got a 500 error. Your installation does need to have the mysqli module active. Ensuring that it is is a step forward, but it doesn’t sound like it will solve the root cause of the error.

I checked all of the wordpress files and could not find any definition of WP_USE_EXT_MYSQL.

As for mysqli functions not being defined, a small command line php script that uses mysqli works just fine.

I have only 1 mysqli file under my C:\php strucrure
112128 12/13/2017 6:23:58 PM C:\php\ext\php_mysqli.dll

I have the emysqli extension turned on in my c:\php\php.ini file as follows
extension=mysqli

Any other ideas as to where to look ?

Thanks.

I was checking to see if Apache2.4 was causing my issues by writing the following tiny PHP web page

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

<h1>My first PHP page</h1>

<?php
phpinfo();
?>

</body>
</html>

I saw all the info I expected to see

extension_dir C:\php\ext C:\php\ext

mysqli
MysqlI Support enabled
Client API library version mysqlnd 5.0.12-dev – 20150407 – $Id: b396954eeb2d1d9ed7902b8bae237b287f21ad9e $
Active Persistent Links 0
Inactive Persistent Links 0
Active Links 0

Loaded Configuration File C:\php\php.ini

My google searches continue, hopefully someone out there has the answer.

Good Friday has been good to me !!

I finally got the install to work !

The missing “piece” was to uncomment the line
;extension=pdo_mysql

After I did that the install went through. I defined a user/password and logged in !

Thanks to all !

Are you still getting that fatal error logged when you try to install WP?

Why don’t you try another tiny PHP web page that includes the example from https://php.net/manual/en/function.mysqli-connect.php. Pass your actual DB credentials as arguments of course.

If you get a “Call to undefined function” error with that example, there’s something wrong with your PHP installation.

I created a small PHP web page as you suggested and it works just fine. I checked the appache log and I did not see any kind of error

Well, at least the mysqli is OK. If you haven’t done so, try running the small PHP from /htdocs/wordpress/wp-admin/ to check for any folder specific issues. I suspect that will be OK, but it’s worth a check.

If it exists, try renaming wp-config.php to something like firsttry-wp-config.php. Then retry install.php without a wp-config.php file.

The only other thing I can think of is the WP files are corrupted somehow. Try starting over with WP. Wipe out everything in /htdocs/wordpress/ and above. Obtain a fresh download package from www.ads-software.com/download/ and extract to /htdocs/wordpress/, then run /wordpress/wp-admin/install.php again.

the small test script works perfectly underneath wp-admin. so i wll assume everything is ok.

thanks.